I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

Lucia chose the book and hosted the meeting.

Lucia greeted her guests with a stylin' shirt of Fishermen Do It With a Big Pole. How fitting for our book and Maggie's shirt that she wore for her last day. She also served Pink Squirrel drinks to remember Babs and Maggie sharing that same drink on Easter morning at Ruth's Chris restaurant.
Our discussion was informal and members shared what they liked or did not like about the book. We could not explain the title of the book.

Here is a sample of our thoughts:

• Judy - liked the short chapters, liked "weed pulling" Hazel; didn't care for Maggie - she was unbalanced.
• Stacy - enjoyed Hazel - she made her laugh.
• Pat D. - all characters were interesting; second half of book was better than first; liked that Maggie tied up all her loose ends before her suicide.
• Missy - like the visual created of the skeleton sitting on Brenda's sister's couch.
• Kristi - glad that Maggie began to own her character.
• Lori - enjoyed Brenda and her character with the eating disorder, and the funny ways that she hid what she ate (especially the ice cream in the purse).
• Diane - liked the part when the police officer pulled Maggie over with the skeleton in the backseat of the car.
• Lucia - liked Babs and Maggie in the restaurant when Maggie honestly told her how she felt about her; liked the pink squirrel drinks!
• Barb - liked the funny parts of the book and laughed out loud at Bab's antics.
• Carol M. - found the characters interesting; made her think about the negative thoughts women have about themselves.
  

Publisher's website for the book: http://atrandom.com/fannie_flagg/

Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Judy hosted the meeting and chose the book.

We were welcomed to Judy’s by having a delightful garden party complete with champagne punch, lemonade and yummy chicken salad. Members also dressed in appropriate attire! Welcome to Kristy!

Judy chose this book because she received it as a gift from last year’s book exchange. Beth Hoffman was a first time author when she wrote this book. She is from Ohio and in her childhood she played with her brother and chickens. She had imaginary friends and drew a lot. She sold her first painting at age 14. Beth went on to be an interior designer. Judy shared that the book was published in other countries and the title and cover design were changed. It took this author 4 years to research Savannah and write the book. A movie could be in the future.

The “gamer” Judy had us identify the characters and quotes from the book with a matching game. Many characters shared life lessons in the book and some quotes were just funny! All agreed that it was a unique cast of characters in this book. We were able to discuss each character using the game's quotes.

Some of the blurbs that were given to describe the book were: pleasant read, happy ending, enjoyable, feel-good book, easy read, uplifting, fun, girl power, sappy, laugh out loud book, entertaining, paralleled “The Help”, passionate, female relationships, kindness, love, too good to be true story.

Judy shared peach cobbler for dessert! Her southern hospitality was just “peachy”.

Author's website: http://bethhoffman.net/the-book

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

Book chosen by Pat D., and hosted by Pat S.

This was our annual book club/Christmas party, and also happened to be Missy's birthday. As usual, we started by sampling the delicious appetizers, desserts, and drinks provided by our members. Yummy!! Then we moved to the dining room where Pat S. had set a beautiful, elegant table.

Our book was chosen by Pat D. who picked it solely because it kept appearing on holiday reads for adults. The author, Glenn Beck, wrote a semi-biographical depiction of a period of his life. He has been criticized for stretching the truth and changing facts. His family did own a bakery, but his father is alive and his mother committed suicide. Glenn is a recovering alcoholic who went on to radio and television. He is a Mormon with very conservative and controversial political viewpoints. It seems that folks either love him or hate him.

The book received mediocre scores. Many simply could not get past the fact that Glenn Beck was the author. Words used to describe the book were: short, odd, good cry, quick, okay, hokey, old-fashioned, and heart-felt. Some were disappointed in the dream, and that it seemed to mirror the Wizard of Oz.

Then we played a "Getting to Know You" game created by Pat D. It turns out that Carol W. has the smallest feet, many read Nancy Drew books, NCIS is a favorite TV show, and Pat S. is the least known member of the group.

We exchanged our book gifts. Thanks to everyone for the paperbacks and the creative wraps. Most of the books look to be possible picks for future reads.

In other news, Lori volunteered to be the new secretary for the next term (whatever that may be). We will discuss the length of service later. She promises a new format to the summaries.

For more on Glenn Beck, you can visit his website at http://www.glennbeck.com/ or find a video of Glenn talking about The Christmas Sweater on YouTube. Amazon also has related media linked to the book.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Barb chose the book and hosted the meeting.

Barb took a trip to Ikea and served us a table full of Swedish-inspired dishes including Swedish meatballs, Swedish cookies, ginger cookies, and a homemade pumpkin dip. Yummy!

There was no need to give an author bio since this was a repeat author from last month.

This book expanded our knowledge of Lisbeth, especially her family background. It gave us details on her parents and her crazy life. Many of us thought the middle of the book was a bit confusing because of all the characters and some unfinished story lines. We all agreed that it had a "stay up all night" kind of ending.

Lisbeth was the product of her parents. Raised in a dysfunctional family, she kept trying to do the right thing but had to figure it out on her own as she went along. She had a couple of good, supportive friends along the way; her boxing mentor and, of course, Mikael who always gave her the benefit of the doubt. The trust and respect of a true friend is hard to find, but Lisbeth and Mikael had that for one another.

It was suggested by Lori that we not read sequels so if a member did not enjoy the first book, she would not have to read the author's subsequent books. We agreed. Many in the group loved the book and did not want to have to wait until January to read the third installment anyway. So Lucia will choose a different book and switch months with Judy so she has time to make a selection.

The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor

Kelly chose the book and hosted the meeting.

In this book, Jackson Taylor wrote a biographical account of his grandmother’s life. Research for the book took 14 years. Even though the author got his facts from his family and research, he did fictionalize the story with what he presumed were actual conversations and some events. The Blue Orchard was especially interesting to us because of its setting and landmarks. We wonder if it would be as interesting to readers outside of Central Pennsylvania. It probably represented mid-size cities across the country with regard to politics, the era, racism and human rights.

Most of our discussion centered on the main character, Verna Krone. She was driven and a hard worker. We did not understand her never-ending bad choices in men. She seemed to be desperate for love and gullible to anyone’s advances. We felt she was a bad mother; she never bonded with her son Sam and was uncomfortable around him. Especially in that era, it was an embarrassment to be pregnant out of wedlock. She did work hard to get Sam’s girlfriend into the country and so she may have been trying to make some amends. She had a tough life and made the most out of it. She was self-reliant and survived in spite of it all.

One of the criticisms we had was the lack of consistency in what we thought was the theme of the book, which was the trial for illegal abortions performed by Doctor Crampton. Considering that the book started with the trial, there was very little written on the “business” of abortion and the patients.

This book was driven by the politicians, most crooked, and of course the almighty dollar. The “good old boys” network was as strong in Central Pennsylvania in the 1940’s as it is today. (Sorry if I am editorializing). Once again our eyes were opened to another time in our history.

Book's website: http://www.theblueorchard.com/
Publisher's website: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Blue-Orchard/Jackson-Taylor/9781439186688

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Diane chose the book and hosted the meeting (her first!).

In Diane's review of the author's biography, we discovered an extraordinary life. Stieg wrote from experiences in his own life and of people who impacted his life. He was born in 1954, was raised by his grandparents, and was given a typewriter at age 12. He witnessed the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl and lived his life with regret and sorrow of not having intervened. He and his long-time partner, Eva Gabrielsson, hid from neo-Nazis, rarely leaving the house and keeping the drapes drawn. This is the first book in a series of three published posthumously. Stieg died at the age of 50 after climbing 7 flights of stairs when the elevator was broken. Some consider his death suspicious.

This book was very well received by the group although the graphically violent sex scenes were difficult. The many characters were confusing and we needed to refer to the family tree often. We had lots of different theories, showing that it was truly a complex mystery. Not only did it have lots of twists and turns, but it was at times "twisted."

The Swedish title of the book is Men Who Hate Women. We probably would not have chosen a book with that title. We wondered if the tattoos on Lisbeth were symbolic of the events in her life. Many questions were unanswered about Lisbeth and her life. Carol W. assures us that the next book delves into Lisbeth's past and explains why she is the person she became.

Some found the book difficult in the beginning but, after the first 80-100 pages, were hooked and could not put the book down. We were sometimes overwhelmed by the number of characters. A map of the island compound and of Sweden would have been helpful.

The official website for Stieg Larsson's books: http://stieglarsson.net/

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Missy chose the book and hosted the meeting.

This book received our greatest reviews since reading The Help. We loved the writing style and the unique perspective of Death. We even sympathized and liked Death at times.

Missy reviewed each of the amazingly crafted main characters. Specifically, we noted:
Mama (Rosa) - the growth of her character, she was the glue that held the family
Papa (Hans) - he loved everyone, was a dreamer and sympathetic man
Max - his enduring spirit
Isla - she was saddened over the loss of her son, loved Liesel
Rudy - all boy, faithful to Liesel, giving
Liesel - resilient, haunted, adventurous

We loved all the characters and many had a special fondness for Rudy (Jesse Owens!). We were surprised at how the author chose to have his character die.

The foreshadowing was annoying at times, but it did help to lessen the shock when a character was killed.

We found the power in the words of this author. He had a way of giving us a complete picture with few words. He gave analogies; the use of colors to describe the spirits of the humans or of the day was unique. His description of Hitler's rise using words and scare tactics was powerful. He showed us that not all Germans were bad, that there were sympathizers who happened to be victims as well.

Missy ended the meeting with a question: "Would you hide a Jew in your basement?" Think about it.

Publisher's website: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/

Markus Zusak discusses The Book Thief: